City ready to spread out ticket payments for low-income scofflaws

The city hopes to collect an extra $2.5 million in back-debt on parking and red-light tickets by allowing lower initial payments when debt repayment plans are worked out.

Under the plan, proposed Wednesday by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, scofflaws will no longer have to pay 25 percent of what they owe upfront.

Instead, the amount owed would be spread over equal monthly payments that would go on for as long as a year.

To qualify, the scofflaws would have to already be qualified for one of several low-income programs.

“There is economic hardship out there, and we want to be cognizant and sensitive to that,” said city Comptroller Amer Ahmad. “This ordinance allows us to provide greater debt collection flexibility while improving revenue to the city.”